Multi-function printers (hereinafter referred to as “MFPs”) have been used in recent years that provide users with printing and faxing capabilities in addition to the copying capabilities of a copier. Some MFPs also have the capability of temporarily storing an image scanned through a built-in scanner or data received by facsimile and data received over a network and reading and printing or sending as an E-mail attachment the stored image or data. Such MFPs allow users to improve the productivity of their office work.
MFP manufacturers have been incorporating more and more functions in order to further improve users' productivity.
However, the multifunctionality of MFPs adds to complexity of user operations. This makes it difficult for users to fully understand a host of useful functions provided by MFPs.
Therefore, in order to improve the ease-of-use of MFPs, MFP manufactures are adding a function that allows a user to customize the layout and functions of operation keys of a user interface.
For example, an image generating apparatus is known that is capable of analyzing an operation key layout scanned through a platen glass, displaying the analyzed operation keys on a user interface, and allowing a user to select a function from a function list to assign to one of the operation keys (for example see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-7579).
A method has been proposed for providing an MFP with a macro function of combining and assigning multiple operations together to a single operation button in order to improve the ease-of-use of the MFP. For example, an image generating apparatus is known that has a macro registration function of registering the types of pressed operation keys and the order in which they were pressed by using key codes generated when they were pressed, and executing the series of registered operations when a call key is pressed (for example see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-246111).
However, even if an MFP is provided with the functions of customizing the layout and functions of operation keys of the user interface and registering a series of complex operations as a macro, a user who does not know that the MFP includes those functions would not use them.
Moreover, even if an MFP includes the function of registering complex operations as a macro to simplify the operations as described above and a user knows the provision of that function, the user him/herself must learn how to use the new function for simplifying operations. That is, even if the MFP includes the functions of assigning keys to the above-mentioned functions and registering macro functions, the user can only use those functions after manually performing key assignment and macro registration.
Therefore, users who consider that learning new functions of an MFP is a complicated task may not be able to use such functions of the MFP and therefore cannot improve the user's productivity.